AwareSTEM · AwareStation · Doncaster, UK
🔭 ASTRONOMY HUB
Real targets, real equipment, real sky — from the AwareStation home observatory in Doncaster. Galaxies, nebulae, clusters and planets.
DWARF 3 Smart Telescope
The DWARF 3 joins the AwareStation today. Dual-lens smart telescope — 737mm telephoto for deep-sky objects and 45mm wide-angle for the Milky Way. Sony IMX678 sensor, EQ mode, auto-stacking, GoTo pointing. App-controlled via DWARFLAB. This page will grow as we start imaging the sky.
NIGHT SKY CAMERA
A dedicated sky camera records the view above Doncaster every night from 6pm to 6am — capturing sunset, full darkness, meteor trails, satellite passes and sunrise in a single overnight recording. Each morning's footage is uploaded automatically to the server.
Last upload: 05 Jul 2026 at 10:03
The camera runs on a dedicated IP camera connected to the AwareStation NVR, transcoded via FFmpeg and uploaded nightly. Pointed at the open sky above Doncaster, it gives a continuous record of the night — useful for spotting meteor showers, checking cloud conditions and building a visual archive alongside the radio and SDR data from AwareSignal.
Full page with a larger view is available on the dedicated AwareSkyCam page — check back after 6am each morning for the new upload.
📷 Open AwareSkyCamSolar System Explorer
Interactive tour of all planets with real data, temperatures, gravity and mission links.
→ Explore nowSpace Atlas
Galaxies, nebulae, star clusters and deep-sky objects across the universe.
→ Open atlasMission Builder
Plan a real space mission — pick your destination, spacecraft and fuel budget.
→ LaunchStory of Everything
Full cosmic timeline from the Big Bang to today — stars, galaxies and life.
→ BeginMoon Gallery
Real telescope photographs of the Moon taken from Doncaster. AwareStation original imagery.
→ View photosAwareSignal
SDR radio tracking satellites, aircraft and weather signals live from the AwareStation.
→ Live tracking- 35mm f/4.3 apochromatic, ED elements, Sony IMX678
- 737mm telephoto + 45mm wide-angle dual lens
- EQ mode — reduces field rotation for deep sky
- GoTo — tap any object and it finds it
- Built-in 10,000mAh battery, USB-C, WiFi
- Best for: Moon, planets, nebulae, galaxies, Milky Way
- 130mm aperture — strong light gathering
- 650mm focal length, f/5
- Equatorial mount for manual sky tracking
- Best for: Moon detail, Jupiter bands, Saturn rings
- Manual — needs star maps and practice
- Check collimation periodically
Current sky — June evenings, 53°N
Astronomical twilight ends around 23:30 BST in June — nights are short but the sky is rich. Face south or south-east for best views away from city glow.
| Object | Type | When | AstroMaster 130 | DWARF 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moon | Satellite | Varies by phase | ✓ Excellent | ✓ Excellent |
| Jupiter | Gas giant | Pre-dawn sky | ✓ Cloud bands | ✓ Great detail |
| Saturn | Gas giant | Pre-dawn sky | ✓ Rings visible | ✓ Excellent |
| Mars | Rocky planet | Low west at dusk | ~ Small disc | ~ Possible |
| M13 Hercules Cluster | Globular cluster | High overhead evening | ~ Fuzzy ball | ✓ Resolved stars |
| M57 Ring Nebula | Planetary nebula | Evening, Lyra | ~ Tiny ring | ✓ Good detail |
| M31 Andromeda | Galaxy | Late night / pre-dawn | ✓ Large faint glow | ✓ Wide lens frame |
| Milky Way core | Galaxy arm | Late night, south | ✗ Binoculars better | ✓ Wide-angle lens |
| Albireo double star | Binary star | All night, Cygnus | ✓ Gold + blue pair | ✓ Beautiful |
| ISS passes | Space station | Check Heavens-Above | ✗ Too fast | ✗ Too fast |
ISS passes → heavens-above.com — enter Doncaster for accurate times
New Moon periods give darkest skies — best for faint deep-sky targets
🌌 GALAXIES
Galaxies are vast collections of billions of stars held together by gravity. Andromeda (M31) is 2.5 million light years away but visible to the naked eye from a dark site. The DWARF 3 captures it in a single wide-angle frame.
Summer targets include the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51), Pinwheel (M101) and the Leo Triplet — all need stacking. The Milky Way itself is best captured with the 45mm wide-angle lens on a dark night facing south.
🔥 NEBULAE
Nebulae are clouds of gas and dust — stellar nurseries or the dying shells of stars. The Ring Nebula (M57) in Lyra is the perfect UK summer target. The Dumbbell Nebula (M27) in Vulpecula is larger and easier.
The DWARF 3's Duo filter is specifically designed to cut light pollution and enhance emission nebulae. Switch from Astro to Duo for nebula sessions.
✨ STAR CLUSTERS
Globular clusters are ancient spheres of hundreds of thousands of stars. M13 in Hercules is the summer showpiece — high overhead in June and the perfect first target for the DWARF 3 after calibration.
Open clusters are younger and looser. Double stars are often overlooked but stunning — Albireo in Cygnus shows a gold and blue colour pair visible through both telescopes.
⭐ STARS AND WHAT THEY TELL US
Star colours reveal temperature — blue-white stars burn hottest, red and orange stars are cooler. This is real astrophysics you can observe from the garden.
Try Epsilon Lyrae — the Double Double — four stars in two pairs, all visible through a telescope. Mizar and Alcor in Ursa Major is a naked-eye double that splits further with magnification.
- Download the DWARFLAB app before going outside — connect via the DWARF 3 WiFi hotspot
- Start with the Moon or a bright planet — great for GoTo calibration and instant results
- Set up EQ mode from the start — 3 minutes to configure and gives much better deep-sky results
- M13 Hercules Cluster is the perfect first deep-sky target in June — high overhead and stacks fast
- Let the stacking run — the image improves continuously, walk away and come back after 10 minutes
- Use Astro filter (not VIS) for deep-sky — it extends into the infrared range
- For nebulae switch to the Duo filter — designed specifically to fight light pollution
- Face south or south-east — away from Doncaster city glow
- Allow 20 minutes for your eyes to dark-adapt before judging the visual sky
- Check clearoutside.com before going out — cloud layers invisible to the naked eye can ruin a session
📍 OBSERVING FROM DONCASTER
Doncaster sits around Bortle class 6–7 in the centre, improving to 4–5 on the outskirts. The DWARF 3's stacking and Duo filter handle urban light pollution well — it was built for exactly this kind of suburban astronomy.
For best results face south-east away from the city. The Lincolnshire Wolds to the east offer Bortle 3–4 skies within 40 minutes. Thorne Moors to the east is also good for darker skies without a long drive.
lightpollutionmap.info · clearoutside.com · heavens-above.com
STELLARIUM WEB
Free planetarium in your browser. Set location to Doncaster and identify anything in the sky.
→ External linkCLEAR OUTSIDE
Astronomy-specific cloud and seeing forecast. Far more accurate than standard weather apps.
→ External linkHEAVENS-ABOVE
ISS pass predictions and satellite tracking. Enter your exact Doncaster location.
→ External linkDWARFLAB
Official DWARF 3 app download and support. Download before your first session.
→ External linkNASA APOD
A different astronomical image every day with explanation from a professional astronomer.
→ External linkMOON GALLERY
Real telescope photographs from Doncaster. More images added as the DWARF 3 gets going.
→ View gallery